Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

János Bródy: The Singer Poking the eye of the Establishment

János Bródy: The Singer Poking the eye of the Establishment

I would never have heard of Hungarian singer-songwriter János Bródy if someone hadn’t drawn it to my attention that he is celebrating his 75th birthday this year.

Bródy is a revered artist in this country. As someone put it to me, “Ask any Hungarian, especially over the age of 40, about Bródy and his career as a bandleader and solo artist, as well as his stage musicals, particularly ‘István, a király’ (Stephen, the King). It’s like asking any grey-haired Brit or American about The Rolling Stones or Crosby, Stills & Nash.”

I would guess, though, that Bródy is all but completely unknown outside Hungary. He also sings and writes only in Hungarian, which, with the best will in the world, doesn’t help.

Bródy was born in 1946 in Budapest. He joined the band Illés (Elijah) in 1964 as a singer. Judging by the cuts collected on the 2005 compilation “Nehéz az út” (The Road is Hard), he was pretty good. I don’t know what he’s singing about, but the music ranges from sophisticated psychedelic stuff with adept playing and smooth harmonies like “Sárga rózsa” (Yellow Rose) to the belting “Little Richard.”

It being the 1960s, Illes’ music was influenced by bands like the Beatles and the Stones. By 1967, Bródy was writing his own lyrics. Like Dylan or Lennon and McCartney, he wrote in code. But, where they were mainly writing about drugs and sex, Bródy was secretly criticizing the Hungarian communist regime. He has never stopped making his music from a position of opposition to whoever is in power in Hungary.

The ambiguity of Bródy’s lyrics helped make Illés’ gigs an outlet for implicit protest by the band’s fans. But their popularity put them into a musical straitjacket. By the early 1970s, they were experimenting with mixing Hungarian folk and rock and roll, but their fans demanded less challenging stuff.

Police Baiting


Bródy continued speaking out. At an event in Diósgyőr (186 km northeast of Budapest) in 1973, he said from the stage (and I’m translating roughly, here): “We also wish to thank the police forces. Many of you came here yesterday from Miskolc and couldn’t sleep anywhere. For them, the police provided shelter, even if it was not as comfortable as the bed at home, and let them out this morning, asking them if they slept well and wishing them fun for tonight.”

The resultant fine and one-month ban from performing caused Illés to begin to fall apart. After they folded later in 1973, Bródy started the band Fonográf with some former members of Illes and new blood. I’ve only listened to 1978’s “Útközben” (On the Way), which is competently played rock and roll with an Eagles country-rock influence on some cuts.

Bródy’s lyrics were as inflammatory as ever, and Fonográf was heavily censored by the communists. The 1973 album “Jelbeszéd” (Sign Language), made by Fonográf collaborator Zsuzsa Koncz, written by Bródy, was taken out of stores and destroyed.

Despite this, you can find “Jelbeszéd” online; it was re-released in 2002, and it’s well worth the listening. Koncz has a powerful, pure voice with a tone that I think of as particularly Hungarian. Like Bródy, she is an icon in Hungary.

“Sign Language” is a particularly adept way of describing what Bródy has always done: send coded signals to his audience.

In 1980, he released his first solo album, “Hungarian Blues.” As time went on, his writing has increasingly expressed disappointment with life in newly democratic Hungary, with lyrics sung in a seasoned, somewhat world-weary voice to an often wistful musical backing.

Fulfilled Disappointment


He has continued to record albums and give performances as well as write plays. In true Hungarian style – and again, this is a rough translation of the words on his website – he performs “with an ironic smile, offering a short, temporary happiness between hopeless love and fulfilled disappointment, consoling the unrealized dream.”

Bródy’s solo albums have all gone gold or platinum in Hungary. He’s also published several books of his lyrics which have sold well. In 2001, the singer-songwriter was diagnosed with cancer and had a kidney removed. Fortunately, he was able to continue making and performing his art.

After listening to his latest album, 2020’s “Gáz van, babám!” (There’s Trouble, Baby!), I still struggle to warm to the music, but I do wish I could understand what he’s singing about. This is particularly the case with his 1984 recording of the song “Ha én rózsa volnék” (If I Were a Rose), an anthem for Hungarians who came of age in the 1960s.

Alongside the new album, Bródy is releasing another book of his lyrics, “Saját hangon” (In my own Voice). Researching this article, I asked a fan who saw him a few times in the 1980s and 1990s what she felt about him.

She said, “I like his lyrics very much. He uses simple words in a beautiful way. As a performer, he’s charming but also humble. My mother loves him too; she was a fan in the 1960s. When we listen to his music together, we’re not a daughter and mother. We feel the same age: we are both young. This is the power of Bródy’s music.”

I asked my friend László Kovács, of Hungarian reissue label Moiras Records, for his suggestions on where to start with Bródy. He recommended:

1. Illés, “Goodbye London”

2. Fonográf, “Hunyd le a szemed” (Close Your Eyes)

3. Bródy, “Földvár felé félúton” (Halfway to Földvár)

4. Brody, “Ha én rózsa volnék” (If I Were a Rose)

5. Brody, “Ne szólj szám” (Don’t say numbers)

Moiras is a great place to start if you are interested in getting to grips with Hungarian popular music. Find out more at www.moiras.somoskiado.hu.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Trump Administration Seeks to Repurpose $4.9 Billion in Foreign Aid
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: “The Current Welfare State Can No Longer Be Financed”
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
Wizz Air passengers screamed as storm-battered flight diverts to Bologna
European postal services halt U.S. deliveries after Trump imposes new tariffs
Urban explorer finds abandoned luxury restaurant left to decay
Fidesz leader labels Péter Magyar a ‘bluffer’ amid escalating political spat
French rope park operator arrested for denying entry to Israeli children
Újpest thrashes Zalaegerszeg 4-1 to secure first win in five matches
Profit-margin cap costs retailers 13 billion forints a month, warns trade group
Curiosity rover finds coral-like rock on Mars hinting at watery past
U.S. green policy rollback drives investors to Europe’s sustainable finance market
Special funerals rise in Hungary: boat, aerial and forest burials gain popularity
Hungary’s Kiskunság region turning into semi-desert after extreme drought
Kopasz Bálint wins world kayak 1000 m title in Milan, making him triple world champion
Budapest’s Keleti railway station to close for four weeks for track overhaul
Balaton could be unfit for swimming by 2035 and dry by 2050, scientists warn
Leaked guidelines show Meta’s AI allowed flirty and racist interactions with children
Filming of ‘Emily in Paris’ halted after assistant director dies on set
Filipino guest workers sue after Hungary moves to deport them for pregnancy
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
A monster hit and a billion-dollar toy empire
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
×